In computing , a benchmark is the act of running a computer program , a set of programs, or other operations, in order to assess the relative performance of an object, normally by running a number of standard tests and trials against it.
51-573: DXOMARK is a commercial website described as "an independent benchmark that scientifically assesses smartphones , lenses and cameras ". Founded in 2008 , DXOMARK was originally owned by DxO Labs , a French engineering and consulting company, which is headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt , Paris, France. DXOMARK Image Labs was separated from DxO Labs in September 2017 , and was later re-branded to DXOMARK in 2019 . DXOMARK
102-458: A Kickstarter campaign to produce the Trioplan f2.9/50, a new lens based on one originally produced by Hugo Meyer & Co.; both lenses exhibit a characteristic "soap-bubble" bokeh. The use of anamorphic lenses will cause bokeh to appear differently along the horizontal and vertical axes of the lens, becoming ellipsoidal compared to those in a spherical lens. In 2016, Apple Inc. released
153-413: A superscalar CPU, a VLIW CPU, or a reconfigurable computing CPU — typically have slower clock rates than a sequential CPU with one or two execution units when built from transistors that are just as fast. Nevertheless, CPUs with many execution units often complete real-world and benchmark tasks in less time than the supposedly faster high-clock-rate CPU. Given the large number of benchmarks available,
204-593: A benchmark extracts the key algorithms of an application, it will contain the performance-sensitive aspects of that application. Running this much smaller snippet on a cycle-accurate simulator can give clues on how to improve performance. Prior to 2000, computer and microprocessor architects used SPEC to do this, although SPEC's Unix-based benchmarks were quite lengthy and thus unwieldy to use intact. Computer manufacturers are known to configure their systems to give unrealistically high performance on benchmark tests that are not replicated in real usage. For instance, during
255-419: A control ring that permits the overcorrection or undercorrection of spherical aberration to change the bokeh in front of and behind the focal plane . The Minolta/Sony STF 135 mm f/2.8 [T4.5] (with STF standing for smooth trans focus ) is a lens specifically designed to produce pleasing bokeh. It is possible to choose between two diaphragms: one with 9 and another with 10 blades. An apodization filter
306-421: A good bokeh at f/4.5. Today it is much easier to make an f/1.8 lens, and a 9-bladed lens at f/1.8 is enough for an 85 mm lens to achieve great bokeh. Some lens manufacturers including Nikon , Minolta , and Sony make lenses designed with specific controls to change the rendering of the out-of-focus areas. The Nikon 105 mm DC-Nikkor and 135 mm DC-Nikkor lenses (DC stands for "Defocus Control") have
357-423: A kernel that depends on the distance of each image point and – at least in principle – has to include image points that are occluded by objects in the foreground. Also, bokeh is not just any blur. To a first approximation, defocus blur is convolution by a uniform disk , a more computationally intensive operation than the "standard" Gaussian blur ; the former produces sharp circles around highlights whereas
408-408: A manufacturer can usually find at least one benchmark that shows its system will outperform another system; the other systems can be shown to excel with a different benchmark. Manufacturers commonly report only those benchmarks (or aspects of benchmarks) that show their products in the best light. They also have been known to mis-represent the significance of benchmarks, again to show their products in
459-415: A processor with a slower clock frequency might perform as well as or even better than a processor operating at a higher frequency. See BogoMips and the megahertz myth . Benchmarks are designed to mimic a particular type of workload on a component or system. Synthetic benchmarks do this by specially created programs that impose the workload on the component. Application benchmarks run real-world programs on
510-425: A proprietary and confidential mapping into an overall score. Tests are also confined to default modes, except for Zoom and Bokeh , which has caused reviewers to be cautious when using them. On 22 January 2019 , DXOMARK started to release the results of a new metric; testing the front-facing ' selfie ' cameras on smartphones. These new standalone DXOMARK Selfie tests are undertaken for both Photo and Video, though
561-639: A rating system for mobile device displays (screens). DXOMARK Display tests over 400 measurements, and more than 20 hours of laboratory evaluations and real-life scenarios. The result includes six sub-scores: Readability, Colour, Video, Motion, Touch, and Artifacts. In November 2020, DXOMARK introduced a rating system, DXOMARK Sound, for wireless speakers , based on factors including both lab tests using sound-level meters and calibrated microphones, as well as 20 hours of perceptual assessment. Customized music clips, created by DXOMARK in collaboration with professional musicians and recording studios, include those in
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#1732794146878612-440: Is a proprietary combination of nine category sub-scores: DXOMARK's Camera Video score includes six of the same sub-scores as DXOMARK's Mobile Photo score (Exposure, Colour, Auto-focus, Texture, Noise, and Artifacts), along with Stabilisation. DXOMARK's tests are conducted by the company's technical staff under a variety of lighting conditions; ranging from low-light 1 Lux, to bright daylight outdoors. Sub-scores are combined using
663-413: Is a verb denoting the actions or condition of someone who is half-asleep, or nodding off. Tobokeru means playing dumb, and toboketa kao refers to a poker face. The related term bokashi ( 暈かし ) means intentional blurring or gradation; that is a noun form of the transitive verb bokasu ( 暈す ) , which means to make something blurry, rather than to be blurry. The English spelling bokeh
714-460: Is also extraordinarily difficult. Here is a partial list of common challenges: There are seven vital characteristics for benchmarks. These key properties are: Bokeh In photography , bokeh ( / ˈ b oʊ k ə / BOH -kə or / ˈ b oʊ k eɪ / BOH -kay ; Japanese: [boke] ) is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in out-of-focus parts of an image, whether foreground or background or both. It
765-471: Is called Continuous Benchmarking. As computer architecture advanced, it became more difficult to compare the performance of various computer systems simply by looking at their specifications. Therefore, tests were developed that allowed comparison of different architectures. For example, Pentium 4 processors generally operated at a higher clock frequency than Athlon XP or PowerPC processors, which did not necessarily translate to more computational power;
816-409: Is created by using a wide aperture lens. Some photographers incorrectly restrict use of the term bokeh to the appearance of bright spots in the out-of-focus area caused by circles of confusion . Bokeh has also been defined as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light". Differences in lens aberrations and aperture shape cause very different bokeh effects. Some lens designs blur
867-429: Is most apparent when a lens produces hard-edged bokeh. For this reason, some lenses have many aperture blades and/or blades with curved edges to make the aperture more closely approximate a circle rather than a polygon. Minolta has been on the forefront of promoting and introducing lenses with near-ideal circular apertures since 1987, but most other manufacturers now offer lenses with shape-optimized diaphragms, at least for
918-528: Is not clear what headroom or ceiling level is available to the DXOMARK scoring system. Some early high performers might have suggested an upper limit of 100 points, yet later high performers are awarded scores in excess of 100. It is also important to note that the DXOMARK score is not based on any averages . The DXOMARK Sensor Score measures several important image quality metrics of the RAW image captured by
969-448: Is now a wholly independent privately-owned company . DXOMARK scores are used in many independent news publications and specialist media sites. The score(s) awarded by DXOMARK are based upon a comprehensive and highly-documented, but commercially secret methodology. An overall ' headline ' ( v ) score is awarded, but that is based upon an aggregated overview of a number of other very specific and detailed test attributes , although
1020-495: Is sometimes pronounced / ˈ b oʊ k ə / BOH -kə . Though difficult to quantify, some lenses have subjectively more pleasing out-of-focus areas. "Good" bokeh is especially important for macro lenses and long telephoto lenses , because they are typically used in situations that produce shallow depth of field . Good bokeh is also important for medium telephoto lenses (typically 85–150 mm on 35 mm format). When used in portrait photography (for their "natural" perspective),
1071-750: Is used to soften the aperture edges which results in a smooth defocused area with gradually fading circles. Those qualities made it the only lens of this kind on the market from its introduction in 1999 to 2014. In 2014 Fujifilm announced a lens utilizing a similar apodization filter in the Fujinon XF 56mm F1.2 R APD lens . Sony added the Sony FE 100 mm F2.8 STF GM OSS in 2017. The 'Sigma YS System Focusing' 135 mm f/2.8 also has an extra manually-moved component, intended to compensate for aberration at close-focus distances. It can be re-purposed for defocus control. In 2015, Meyer Optik USA Inc. launched
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#17327941468781122-476: Is why it is often associated with such areas. However, bokeh is not limited to highlights; blur occurs in all regions of an image which are outside the depth of field . The opposite of bokeh—an image in which multiple distances are visible and all are in focus—is deep focus . The term comes from the Japanese word boke ( 暈け / ボケ ) , which means "blur" or "haze", resulting in boke-aji ( ボケ味 ) ,
1173-530: The Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens mounted on a Canon EOS 5DS R has the highest measured P-MPix (45 P-MPix), followed by the Carl Zeiss APO Sonnar T* 2/135 ZE (41 P-MPix on Canon EOS 5DS R and 36 P-MPix on Nikon D800E ). The DXOMARK Lens Score provides ratings for camera lenses , as tested using its proprietary tool-set in combination with various camera models. As with
1224-579: The DxOMark Sensor Score , the DXOMARK Lens Score is an aggregation of five separate sub-scores; namely: sharpness, distortion , vignetting , transmission, and chromatic aberration . As smartphones began to overtake point-and-shoot cameras , DXOMARK began testing smartphones and other mobile devices in 2011 , and introduced DXOMARK Mobile in 2012 . A major update was made in September 2017 , adding tests designed to stress
1275-458: The Honor 9 Lite smartphone was released with quad cameras (two dual-lens). Both the front and back cameras have a 13 MP main lens and a 2 MP lens for capturing bokeh depth information. Bokeh can be simulated by convolving the image with a kernel that corresponds to the image of an out-of-focus point source taken with a real camera. Unlike conventional convolution, this convolution has
1326-557: The camera 's sensor. The overall score is a confidential combination of three sub-scores: Another metric, the Perceptual MegaPixel (P-MPix), defined as 'the unit of a sharpness measurement', is used to rate the resolution a camera produces when paired to a particular lens . DXOMARK claims that P-MPix is a more accurate and relevant value for photographers to consider than alternate measures of sharpness when evaluating camera and lens image quality. As of December 2015,
1377-415: The floating point operation performance of a CPU , but there are circumstances when the technique is also applicable to software . Software benchmarks are, for example, run against compilers or database management systems (DBMS). Benchmarks provide a method of comparing the performance of various subsystems across different chip/system architectures . Benchmarking as a part of continuous integration
1428-463: The iPhone 7 Plus which can take pictures with "Portrait Mode" (a bokeh like effect). Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 has a similar effect available. Both of these phones use dual cameras to detect edges and create a "depth map" of the image, which the phone uses to blur the out-of-focus portions of the photo. Other phones, like the Google Pixel , only use a single camera and machine learning to create
1479-432: The "blur quality". This is derived as a noun form of the verb bokeru , which is written in several ways, with additional meanings and nuances: 暈ける refers to being blurry, hazy or out-of-focus, whereas the 惚ける and 呆ける spellings refer to being mentally hazy, befuddled, childish, senile, or playing stupid. Jisaboke ( 時差ボケ ) (literally, "time difference fog") is the term for jet lag. Nebokeru ( 寝ぼける )
1530-602: The 'headline' DXOMARK Selfie score will combine both. For DXOMARK Selfie Photo, there are sub-scores for Exposure, Colour, Focus, Texture, Noise, Artifacts, Flash, and Bokeh . For DXOMARK Selfie Video, sub-scores include Exposure, Colour, Focus, Texture, Noise, Artifacts, and Stabilisation. On 10 October 2019, DXOMARK introduced a new Audio benchmark for smartphones. Phones are tested for playback using their internal speakers , and for recording using their built-in microphones . DXOMARK Audio tested categories include: For recording only: In October 2020, DXOMARK introduced
1581-592: The 1980s some compilers could detect a specific mathematical operation used in a well-known floating-point benchmark and replace the operation with a faster mathematically equivalent operation. However, such a transformation was rarely useful outside the benchmark until the mid-1990s, when RISC and VLIW architectures emphasized the importance of compiler technology as it related to performance. Benchmarks are now regularly used by compiler companies to improve not only their own benchmark scores, but real application performance. CPUs that have many execution units — such as
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1632-427: The actual weighting of those individual attributes is unknown. DXOMARK themselves stress that "the overall score is not a weighted sum of the sub-scores. It is a proprietary and confidential mapping of sub-scores into a combined score". DXOMARK also highlight that they consult directly with the equipment manufacturers, with the objective of helping them make better cameras . In respect of specific score figures, it
1683-401: The actual test data. Analyzer is a suite of software tools published by DXOMARK, that includes test targets and test equipment. It is used by camera companies, as well as press publications and websites ; to test sensors, lenses , and standalone cameras, as well as mobile devices with cameras. Testing can be performed on both RAW and JPEG images, as well as video. Analyzer is also
1734-613: The analysis engine behind dxomark.com Results can be displayed either numerically or graphically. Originally introduced by DxO Labs, Analyzer is now a product of DxOMark, which has been separated from DxO . Analyzer includes modules for testing optics, sensors, stabilisation, video, timing, and 3D features. DXOMARK ratings are often used by the press to describe the image quality characteristics of their cameras and mobile devices. High DXOMARK Camera ratings have also been featured as hallmarks of quality in vendor announcements and marketing materials, although reviewers are careful to note that
1785-442: The best possible light. Taken together, these practices are called bench-marketing. Ideally benchmarks should only substitute for real applications if the application is unavailable, or too difficult or costly to port to a specific processor or computer system. If performance is critical, the only benchmark that matters is the target environment's application suite. Features of benchmarking software may include recording/ exporting
1836-519: The capabilities of current-model smartphones, including those with dual lenses; such as lower-light shooting, telephoto zoom, depth effect, and bokeh . In September 2019 , the DXOMARK Mobile score was renamed DXOMARK Camera. DXOMARK Camera Overall Score is the headline number reported for each tested device, and consists of a proprietary combination of DXOMARK Camera Photo, and DXOMARK Camera Video category scores. DXOMARK's Camera Photo score
1887-402: The course of performance to a spreadsheet file, visualization such as drawing line graphs or color-coded tiles, and pausing the process to be able to resume without having to start over. Software can have additional features specific to its purpose, for example, disk benchmarking software may be able to optionally start measuring the disk speed within a specified range of the disk rather than
1938-410: The depth map. In 2017, Vivo released a smartphone with dual front lenses for selfies with bokeh. The first, a 20 MP lens, uses a 1/2.78" sensor with f/2.0 aperture, while the second, an 8 MP f/2.0 lens, captures depth information. Bokeh can be made with a combination of both lenses, and shots can be refocused even after they are captured, adding bokeh effects with different depths. In early 2018,
1989-405: The domain of portraiture photography. In contrast, a catadioptric telephoto lens renders bokehs resembling doughnuts, because its secondary mirror blocks the central part of the aperture opening. Recently, photographers have exploited the shape of the bokeh by creating a simple mask out of card with shapes such as hearts or stars, that the photographer wishes the bokeh to be, and placing it over
2040-456: The edge, or brighter near the center. A well-known lens that exhibited the latter "soap-bubble" characteristic was that produced by Hugo Meyer & Co., more recently revived by Meyer Optik Görlitz . Lenses that are poorly corrected for spherical aberration will show one kind of disc for out-of-focus points in front of the plane of focus, and a different kind for points behind. This may actually be desirable, as blur circles that are dimmer near
2091-414: The edges produce less-defined shapes which blend smoothly with the surrounding image. The shape of the aperture has an influence on the subjective quality of bokeh as well. For conventional lens designs (with bladed apertures), when a lens is stopped down smaller than its maximum aperture size (minimum f-number ), out-of-focus points are blurred into the polygonal shape formed by the aperture blades. This
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2142-431: The full disk, measure random access reading speed and latency , have a "quick scan" feature which measures the speed through samples of specified intervals and sizes, and allow specifying a data block size, meaning the number of requested bytes per read request. Benchmarking is not easy and often involves several iterative rounds in order to arrive at predictable, useful conclusions. Interpretation of benchmarking data
2193-421: The image in a way that is pleasing to the eye, while others produce distracting or unpleasant blurring ("good" and "bad" bokeh, respectively). Photographers may deliberately use a shallow focus technique to create images with prominent out-of-focus regions, accentuating their lens's bokeh. Bokeh is often most visible around small background highlights , such as specular reflections and light sources , which
2244-585: The latter is a much softer effect. Diffraction may alter the effective shape of the blur. Some graphics editors have a filter to do this, usually called "Lens Blur". Accurate bokeh simulation requires running the blur in linear, HDR space. For low dynamic range images, an artificial neural network may be used to reconstruct the HDR light. An alternative mechanical mechanism has been proposed for generating bokeh in small aperture cameras such as compacts or cellphone cameras, called image destabilisation, in which both
2295-541: The lens and sensor are moved in order to maintain focus at one focal plane, while defocusing nearby ones. This effect currently generates blur in only one axis. Some advanced digital cameras have bokeh features which take several images with different apertures and focuses and then manually compose them afterward to one image. More advanced systems of bokeh use a hardware system of 2 sensors, one sensor to take photo as usual while other ones record depth information. Bokeh effect and refocusing can then be applied to an image after
2346-444: The lens. Lenses with 11, 12, or 15 blade iris diaphragms are often claimed to excel in bokeh quality. Because of this, the lenses do not need to reach wide apertures to get better circles (instead of polygons). In the past, wide aperture lenses (f/2, f/2.8) were very expensive, due to the complex mathematical design and manufacturing know-how required, at a time when all computations and glass making were done by hand. Leica could reach
2397-447: The photographer usually wants a shallow depth of field, so that the subject stands out sharply against a blurred background. Bokeh characteristics may be quantified by examining the image's circle of confusion . In out-of-focus areas, each point of light becomes an image of the aperture, generally a more or less round disc. Depending on how a lens is corrected for spherical aberration , the disc may be uniformly illuminated, brighter near
2448-408: The ratings only reflect image quality. DXOMARK also provides consulting services to hardware manufacturers, related to image quality. Benchmark (computing) The term benchmark is also commonly utilized for the purposes of elaborately designed benchmarking programs themselves. Benchmarking is usually associated with assessing performance characteristics of computer hardware , for example,
2499-409: The styles of jazz, hip-hop, classical, pop, rock, Latin, electronic, and alternative genres. DXOMARK started smartphone battery testing on 10 May 2021. DXOMARK's battery test protocol is based on 70 measurements and takes 150 hours to test. Users of the DXOMARK website can select several devices of the same class, and have the website display a comparison of their test scores and graphical versions of
2550-454: The system. While application benchmarks usually give a much better measure of real-world performance on a given system, synthetic benchmarks are useful for testing individual components, like a hard disk or networking device. Benchmarks are particularly important in CPU design , giving processor architects the ability to measure and make tradeoffs in microarchitectural decisions. For example, if
2601-749: Was popularized in 1997 in Photo Techniques magazine, when Mike Johnston, the editor at the time, commissioned three papers on the topic for the May/June 1997 issue; he altered the spelling to suggest the correct pronunciation to English speakers, saying "it is properly pronounced with bo as in bone and ke as in Kenneth, with equal stress on either syllable". The spellings bokeh and boke have both been in use since at least 1996, when Merklinger had suggested "or Bokeh if you prefer." The term bokeh has appeared in photography books as early as 1998. It
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